Shortest Goodbyes
by SpaceMonkeyDawg
Summary: Life, Death…Love, Hate…Jealousy, Anger…Revenge, Murder…and a turtle. This is not to be taken seriously, but it is written super seriously. Don't be surprised if at the end all the characters turn up dead.
1. Chapter 1

Vlad Masters is a very irresistible man.

I mean, here I am, Maddie Fenton—_Fenton—_married and living a perfectly normal life. A lovely life. Well, aside from the constant threat of ghosts. But that's beside the point.

I should be happy. I'm doing what I love, I'm with the people I love, and I'm in a city that I love.

So, why don't I feel the love?

A part of me is in desperate need--desire even--to attain something so very unattainable. A man whom I could have had years ago if I had only given it time. If I had only waited a few more years before rushing into marriage. Jack Fenton is a good man; clumsy, but good. But I realize now, much too late, that I did not what my boyfriend…I wanted my best friend.

And I'm fairly certain he wants me, too.

Ever since our little "reunion" a couple of years ago, I've seen the way he looks at me. That lust in his eyes is unmistakable. Unmistakable to anyone whose name is not Jack Fenton, at least. The kids saw it, I'm sure, and I _know_ I saw it. For the sake of the children, I feigned discomfort. I tried to make it look as though I did not want the man who was so desperately in love with me.

Oh, but I did.

And I do.

A letter came in the mail today…from the mayor. My eyes dart wildly around the room, making sure no one is around to see me open it. I skim across its lettering and my heart flutters irresponsibly. I know that I should be content with where I am. I made my decision years ago to marry Jack…and to have two wonderful children, Jazz and Danny. But I feel like I'm neglecting my deep, inner cravings. I must acquiesce this request.

Danny's at Tucker's and Jazz and Jack seem to be indulging in some father-daughter bonding time in front of the television. I casually slip on my boots and my raincoat, hoping to leave unnoticed. But Jack notices…for once in his life, he notices.

"Honey, where are you going in this terrible weather?" he asks me worriedly. His eyes hold a certain amount of concern, but a little bit of something else, as well…suspicion, perhaps?

"I'm just going out to grab a few groceries. I don't know how long I'll be…" I trail off ambiguously, hoping Jack's usual sense of obliviousness has not left him completely.

I sigh in relief as he shrugs, settling back down into the couch. "Alright," he agrees offhandedly.

I smile fleetingly, then scoot out the door.

Freedom.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Vlad has prepared some sort of elaborate dinner for me. At least, that is what his letter said.

I walk into his extensive home, drop off my coat and take off my shoes at the door. I look around hesitantly, wondering if perhaps I should have knocked before entering…

What? I'm a little anxious for this meeting. I can't be bothered with troublesome trivialities like knocking.

"Hello?" I call out gently, conscious of my voice echoing throughout the hallways.

I peer upward toward the top of the stairs as though trying to follow the path of my echo, but my eyes stop dead on a strong figure waiting at the top of the stairway. My heart leaps into my throat and then stops. It is him.

"My dear Maddie, so pleasant to see you again," his sultry voice carries down the banister and into my ears. It is all I can do not to swoon in his presence.

"I got your letter. You sounded urgent," I blurt out, trying not to seem too needy.

He is now at the base of the staircase and he is smiling broadly at me. "Not really. Just eager to see you."

I nod absently, hoping that my blush is not too visible and telling.

"Come, Maddie. I'll show you to the table," Vlad coaxes, gesturing for me to follow him to his large dining room.

I take a seat at one end of the table, expecting Vlad to take his at the other end, as I've seen done in the movies. He surprises me, though, and seats himself directly to my right. This is so that he can be near to me, I'm sure. And since the kids aren't here, I'm in no position to complain.

"We'll just wait in here for the food to be done. The cooks have instructed me that we have about five minutes before our meal is complete," he says so formally.

I nod and lean my elbows on the table, biting my lips in anticipation. "And until then?"

He smiles at me in a wickedly handsome way. "Whatever you want, my dear."

DPDPDPDPDP—_Change to Jack Fenton's POV—_DPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Vlad Masters is an irresistible man.

I realize that this may sound wrong coming from a position like mine: a father, husband of a beautiful woman, upstanding citizen of Amity Park.

But I, the completely capable and competent Jack Fenton, have fallen completely in love, rendered helpless to the charms of Vlad Masters.

He's changed so much since our college days. He used to be my best friend, always agreeing with me and arguing about scientific matters. But we were always friendly with each other.

Until recently. Lately, he's been so…unlike his old self. He's been harsh and commanding. He hasn't been kind to me in the least, though I pretend not to notice. But you know something?

I like him that way.

The way his muscles tense with every angry shout…it's just so enticing. Much as I try my hardest to resist this awful impulse, I can't help but fall for the man. I've hidden this ideology pretty well, I think, from my children and wife. None of them have shown any signs of knowing. And I'm content with my share for now.

Actually…no, I'm not.

I want to see him so badly. To go and tell Vladdy how I feel. I'm almost positive that, once he hears the truth from me, he'll acknowledge that he feels the same way. Why else would he keep pushing me away so often? He doesn't want to get in the way of my relationship with Maddie. But he doesn't have to. All he has to do is show me that the feeling is mutual and I will live with a clean slate of curiosity.

So, when Maddie went out earlier this evening, I devised a little plan. I never leave the house without the warning alarm of a ghostly presence going off, so if I ever decided to leave impromptu like that, Maddie would surely notice and become suspicious.

After all, it's not like a member of this family could ever just randomly leave unnoticed and be gone all day doing something the rest of the family has no clue about, right?

So, if I leave while Maddie is away, no one would suspect a thing.

"Jazmine, I'm going out," I slur nonchalantly, lifting my hefty form from the sofa.

Jazz actually seems somehow pleased by this notion. "Great, Dad, see ya later!"

I spare her one last, guilty glance before I step out of the door and into the downpour.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDPDPDP

I decide not to knock and to just let myself in. After all, I don't want things to be awkward with me standing outside while Vladdy stares at me from the inside. Might as well be warm while I make my confession.

I tiptoe inside, but remain silent. No need to announce my presence. It would be better if I could just find Vlad and begin talking. I don't want to freak him out anymore than is necessary.

I hear a faint commotion coming from the dining room. When I peer inside, I notice to my utter dismay and jealousy that my beautiful Vlad is locking lips intensely with a red-head. I cannot see her face, as her back is facing toward me, but I can see Vlad smiling into his passionate kiss.

But this can't be a sincere kiss. I know he loves me. He must.

I feel my fists clench angrily. There is no way this could be a mutual feeling. I look back inside of the room and see that the woman has an eerie sort of otherworldly glow around her aura.

A ghost! That would explain it all! Vlad has clearly been hypnotized by this being…and it is my duty as his future lover to save him.

I grab the Fenton bazooka from my back pocket and hoist it out of its holster. I kick open the door of the dining room and the rest seems to happen in slow motion. Vlad's eyes grow wide in confusion and the woman he is with begins to turn, but I give her not chance to do so. Before she can hypnotize me with those ghostly eyes, I fire the weapon and watch as the blast hits her form, rendering her completely and utterly dead.

But she's a ghost so it's not like that hasn't happened before.

And then, several horrible realizations hit me all at the same time. A glance at the table tells me that the aura around the woman was caused merely by a candle casting a glow around her form. A glance into Vlad's eyes tells me that he is not in love with me, but rather furious beyond belief. And a look into the face of the woman I have just shot causes bile to rise into my throat at the most awful realization of them all.

I just killed my wife, Maddie Fenton.

In a force of irrational jealousy, I killed my love.

"You imbecile!" Vlad's voice roars throughout the mansion and echoes throughout the entire city, I'm sure. "What have you done?! WHY?!"

I blink absently, my tongue suddenly deadweight. "I-I thought I loved you. I thought you loved me," I manage to mutter.

"Me? Love YOU??" he rages. "Why, if the circumstances were any different, I would laugh harder at this bout of your idiocy than I have at any other. But now…oh, now, you've just ruined my life even further than you already had before."

My eyes are watering in terror now, but I ask anyway, "Before?"

Now, he does laugh. An insane laugh of a man who has lost more than can be replaced. "Why do you think I've been so hostile to you all these years, Jack? Or were you always just too thick to notice?"

"I thought…you loved me. I thought you were trying to hide that from Maddie and—"

"WHAT? That's your rationale for my supposed affection? Why, Jack, it's just the opposite. I wasn't _hiding_ anything from Maddie. I was hiding my love for Maddie from _you,_" Vlad clarifies, much too late for anyone. "I'll show you why I've been so angry all these years…"

And, with a sudden flash and a burst of wind, glass breaks and the table overturns and I am thrown back against a wall. I shield my eyes for a moment, but when I open them, a horror deeper than I have ever known encompasses me.

Vlad is the Wisconsin ghost!

"That's right, you oaf. I'm the infamous Plasmius, the most notorious ghost in the world. And now, I shall dispose of you as I've wanted to for all these years…"

DPDPDPDPDPDPDP—_Change to Jazz's POV—_DPDPDPDPDPDPDP

Vlad Masters must be a very irresistible man.

See, when I was sitting in front of the television, I began to feel uneasy about my parents' sudden absences.

And, boy, was I right to feel that way.

At least I was about Mom. I was walking around the house looking for something to eat when I found what I thought was Mom's forgotten grocery list on the floor. But reading it made me realize that something was wrong…very wrong.

She had been invited to Vlad's home for dinner! And she didn't tell any of us? That was very unlike her…not to mention the man was evil and part ghost. So, I decided to take my leave from the house as well, leaving a note for Danny to find whenever he returned from Tucker's.

So, here I am, Jazz Fenton, standing on Vlad Masters' front porch. I've knocked about twenty times now and I've still received no greeting. I've heard random clanking from out here, but nothing too much to worry about. I'm just preparing my speech for Mom about how irresponsible it is for her to be going to the mayor's house for dinner without notice…and possibly, my speech to reveal Vlad Masters as an ugly, demented ghost.

Suddenly, I become agitated when I hear what sounds like a weapon go off and I hear Vlad' voice carry throughout the house in a fit of rage.

Oh my God. Something is VERY wrong here.

I forget my manners and thrust open the door, catapulting myself toward the sounds that I'm hearing. I hear a whoosh that sounds like a gust of wind and I rush to the entrance of what appears to be the dining room.

I see Vlad hovering over the table in the form of his ghostly alter-ego, Plasmius. Mom is laying on the floor in a rather precarious position which makes my head buzz in fear, and when I look over to where Vlad's hateful stare is directed, I'm flabbergasted to see my father, hunched over in terror.

I must make my move.

"PLASMIUS, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" I yell, pushing open the doors to the dining room and entering. I'm so angry that I feel no fright.

Until Plasmius' dangerously red eyes lock with mine and my heart stops.

Literally.

DPDPDPDPDP—_Change to Vlad's POV—_DPDPDPDPDPDPDP

I like to think of myself as an irresistible man.

For Madeline to think so, it is perfectly welcome. For Jack Fenton to think so is completely, repulsively, sickeningly WRONG. And for their daughter to waltz into the room at such an inopportune moment makes me think that even SHE must find me irresistible.

But this is all the attention I can take, and I'm ready to explode in anger.

When Jazmine walks in, heroic stance and all, I am in such a fit of rage that I cannot help but want to kill whatever I see if it has any relation to Jack Fenton whatsoever.

And I do just that.

I glace between her and her father and the corners of my mouth lift into a triumphant smile as my sickening plot unfolds in my mind.

"Since you've ruined my life to the point of no return, Jack, I think it's only fair I repay the favor. Say goodbye to your daughter," I spit at him, intent on making him suffer.

I lock my eyes with Jazz's fear-filled ones and I use a ghostly power that only emerges when I'm at my most evil and dangerous stage. I transfix her gaze and she is forced to stare straight back at me. With nothing but my willpower, I can feel her heart slow and stop beating; I can feel her trying pitifully to suck air into her lungs and I can feel her bodily functions shut down one by one.

She slumps to the floor and I know that I have succeeded, so I return my stare to the object of my hatred. The man who has ruined everything for both me and himself.

Jack Fenton.

The fool still holds that blasted bazooka in his hands, but he's too dense to use it. Too shocked and appalled and frightened by what he's seeing. I've got him, now. There's no stopping me in my quest to kill him.

Though a part of me wants to make him suffer, a grander part of me is saying that that's what I've been doing for the past few minutes by making his world a living hell and showing him his deadly mistake and killing his only daughter.

Now, I must finish the task before my fit of rage ends and I find myself thinking rationally again and regretting every move I've made tonight.

It must be now or never.

Now.

"Goodbye, Jack," I sneer, tears in my eyes out of fury and sorrow of the loss of my love.

I shoot him with the largest blow I have ever dealt and there are not even enough remains left to fall to the floor. I have killed him. My deed is done.

And now, I must escape. Perhaps into the ghost zone, perhaps into hiding in this human world.

But wherever I hide, those eyes will forever haunt me. All three pairs.

DPDPDPDPDPDPDP—_Change to Danny's POV—_DPDPDPDPDPDPDP

I've never thought of Vlad as an irresistible man in any sense of the word.

So to come home late at night only to find that both my mother and my sister have gone off to his house is more than shocking to me.

The moment I walked into my home, I felt a strong sense of unease. Someone was always home. When I read the note, it explained my anxiety.

Nothing that involved Vlad could be good in any way.

I immediately went ghost without a second thought and I flew over Amity Park until I reached the mayor's mansion.

I knock on the door three times, becoming more and more worried by the second. Finally, I blast open the door, not even checking to see if it is unlocked and I fly, intangible, through the house at light speed. I nearly fly right past it, but when realization of what I had just seen dawns on me, I lose the will to remain in ghost form and fall flat on the floor.

I survey the scene with growing horror. Dead. All of them; my entire family. Gone. No doubt this is Vlad's doing.

A fire rages inside of me as I wonder how anyone could ever find such a slug so irresistible.

And I cry.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This is SpaceMonkeyDawg with chapter two. Again,** **this is not meant to be taken seriously, I promise you. I don't actually feel this way. It's just a story.**

Apparently life's not all it's cracked up to be. I mean, people are overjoyed to be breathing one day and they're eating cake and pizza with a clown named Ted—happy as can be. Then one bad thing happens to them, one moment in time you can't tack back, and their life is over—just like that. One greedy employer or _jealous husband_ and—BAM—their life is taken from them. One event in your life can shape who you are to become—or who you are **not**. In Tucker's case, it was that single moment, the single moment where he lost the love of his life, Jazz, that sent him into a whirlwind of chaotic despair.

The next day, Tucker lay in bed staring at the ceiling counting the spiders racing across his immobile legs. His legs lay frozen there like two dangling logs. As he forced his aching body to sit up, he thought about his life and the plans he had made for his future—_their_ future.

Tucker, unable to force himself to move, let alone go to school, thought about what he'd be missing if he didn't go and what Jazz would be missing in the rest of her life. He couldn't help but only see the pointlessness of it all (school). '_The sine of theta squared is equal to one minus the cosine of theta squared… friction is equal to the coefficient of kinetic friction (muew) times the normal force… a foil is two characters who directly oppose each other… the person who released the Pentagon papers was Daniel E-something in 196-something.' _Tucker couldn't help but wonder_, "What was Jazz really going to miss? What was __**he**__ really going to miss if never showed up again?"_

_"What's the point?" _

Then a thought ran across Tucker's head, _"Who would miss __him__ if he was gone?"_ Tucker's mind, now stuffed with many of life's questions, was not ready to return to school. After the news he just heard, he wasn't even ready to breathe yet.

After contemplating his futile life without Jazz, anger soared through his veins. Now the only thing running through his mind was, simply--_revenge_.

As though the day couldn't start any worse, a sudden crash came from right outside his window. Peering out, he saw nothing but children getting on the bus at the corner and an old man in a worn-out coat picking up the half-eaten chewy bar little Sally Jenkins just threw on the ground behind her. Then all of a sudden a figure appeared right in front of his window. Scaring him half to death, Tucker fell backward toward the floor and while doing so, quite possibly bruised his tail bone. After making sure his derriere was alright, he rose to his feet staring at the trembling figure hovering into his room. Tucker noticed tears streaming down the face that stood in front of him. It was Danny. Tucker put his arm around a sobbing Danny as he helped Danny to his bed.

"I never thought it would be Vlad who killed my entire family."

Tucker couldn't help but feel like he was more upset than Danny. "I did."

Danny looked up in shock, "What?"

Tucker tried to explain his immediate anger and cynical statement, "I just didn't think he would kill your mom too…" he paused, "and Jazz."

"So you knew he would kill my dad?" Danny said, getting more and more upset (but really just confused), while Tucker was already furious (at Vlad) and trying to keep from saying the wrong thing (which he might have already said).

Danny, trying not to think too much right now, went back to staring at the scuff mark on his shoe. Tucker was so mad, he started to take it out on Danny, "No, I just meant that I figured one of your _ghost friends_ would end up going after your family. I just didn't think any of them were smart enough to pull it off."

Tucker's sarcasm was starting to get to Danny, "So you think it's my fault their dead?" Danny looking at Tucker with horror and hurt in his eyes, "You think Vlad was after me?"

Tucker staring at Danny trying to think of the right thing to say to get Danny back on his side, "I didn't mean it like that. I just want to make sure you know that _Vlad did this to you_ and you need to _make him pay_."

Danny couldn't figure out what Tucker was trying to say, so he just ignored it, "I don't know if I can live like this, Tuck. I have no family."

"What about your Uncle Fred?"

Danny looked at Tucker as if he had just suggested wearing spandex to the school dance. "If you're trying to be funny to cheer me up, it is a pathetic attempt and as impossible as getting a mouse to speak Arabic to his elephant friend." After that statement Tucker was confused as to why Danny was joking around, yet he yelled at Tucker for it. But in reality, neither one of them were joking. They were too sad to think anything was funny.

"Why are you acting so weird?" Danny asked, spite in his voice.

Tucker thought about his lost love and why Danny had yet to avenge her death, "So, what are you going to do now?"

Danny, dumb-struck by the question, answered, "I'm going to school."

Tucker stared at him in shock. His eyebrows started to lower; his eyes getting narrower and narrower. Anger building up inside of him. He said at almost a scream, emphasizing every word, "YOU'RE GOING TO SCHOOL?!" Tucker alone couldn't even get himself to go to school today. "YOU'RE HER BROTHER!"

Danny fell backward at the sudden height of Tucker's voice, yelling at him. "Uh…yeah…I have a physics test over projectile motion and a…"

"SCREW PHYSICS!!"

Danny was in total shock. He had no idea Tucker would react this way. He had no idea how much this would affect him. He didn't know what to say. He was at a loss for words. At the moment, Danny was overwhelmed. He didn't know the proper way to react to the death of his whole family.

Before he could say anything else, Tucker started screaming again, "You have to go out there and find Vlad!"

Danny interrupting him, "For what?"

Tucker shocked by Danny's last answer, hurt in his voice. He had calmed to an indoor voice, pain echoing through his words, "What do you mean 'for what?'"

Danny could see the anger building up inside Tucker ready to burst, "To Kill Vlad!" he shouted.

Danny couldn't believe the words that had just escaped Tucker's lips, "Why would I do that?"

Both in shock stood, mouths hanging open, staring at each other seeing horror in the other's eyes. Tucker's next words were impossible for Danny to forget. Not because of what he said, but because of how he said it--not at a scream, but almost a whisper. Shock and hurt rippling through his voice, "He killed…" Going to say 'Jazz,' he stopped himself, remembering that Danny didn't know about his secret love desire. He continued, "He killed your family," he said in a voice of pure compassion.

Danny understood the reasoning behind Tucker wanting Vlad dead; however Danny just couldn't think of it. "I'm not going to kill him."

Tucker looked at Danny with fury in his eyes, while Danny tried to explain, "Vlad didn't kill out of hatred…He killed out of love. Love for _my_ mom. I can't kill a man who is in as much pain as _I am_ right now. I know that deep down, he is truly sorry for what he did. No matter how badly I want to kill him, I will not. It would be wrong." Tucker still blaring with anger. "You have to understand that, Tuck. That just isn't the right thing to do. He may be half ghost, but he's still human."

Danny looked at Tucker with compassion, but Tucker could only see Danny's betrayal. "Get out of my house!" Tucker said with rare hatred in his voice.

As Danny walked out to door, he left a confused Tucker alone with dangerous thoughts. _I can't believe Danny won't help me. I can't believe he's not going to make Vlad pay. After all we've been through together…Ahh. _

He screamed

_I can't take this anymore! It's not fair! I can't believe he's getting away with this! Why do people kill other people? How can people want to take another's life from them? What is wrong with this unjust world we live in? He can't get away with this! _

As he watched Danny walk away without looking back, a single tear streamed down Tucker's cheek. A cold chill shot up through his spine.

_What's wrong with me? Why do I laugh when people fall down? What's wrong with man-kind? There's something wrong with all of us! We can't fight it! It's impossible to fight!.._**I **_can't fight it! AHH! _He screamed. Then he spoke almost at a whisper, pleading in his agony, looking to the sky, _"Please…help me. Just…help me." _He continued in the comfort of his own mind_, 'Please just help me get through the day—this dreadful day!—Just one more day!"_

Tucker had just lost the only person he still cared about. He just made Danny want to stop him rather than help him.Tucker had just made his best friend his enemy.

But, he didn't care.

Tucker was so upset, all he could think about was revenge and if Danny wouldn't help him there was no way he could make Vlad pay for what he did, but that wasn't going to stop Tucker from trying. Blinded by anger and hatred, he went straight to the only friend he had left—his computer. Tucker sat down in front of a blank screen and began madly typing and programming away. He was sending a message—a message to every piece of technology on the planet—a message to Vlad!

Tucker knew this message would get to Vlad; however what he failed to consider was that what he was sending was a message that would kill himself.

But, he didn't care.

_If_ Vlad—correction—_when _Vlad got the message, there would be a confrontation that Tucker might not live through. At the end of the day, he would end up—dead. Or was that what he expected? At the end of the day, he would end up—with Jazz.

Consumed by revenge, he didn't care what happened to him. He knew it would only be a matter of time. So he headed off to the place that already caused so much pain—school.

As he walked into the courtyard, he stared at the miserable brick walls and the naive students hurrying in, not to be late for homeroom. Many of those unsuspecting students sat, talking in front of the school, on the countless picnic tables scattered throughout the yard. His eyes narrowed down on one student in particular.

It was Dash; he was sitting in the far left corner near the entrance with his current bimbo girlfriend, Paulina. Dash caught eye of Tucker staring at him. How Tucker had been feeling, he couldn't help but show it. Tucker looked as if he hated Dash—oh, yeah…he does. It wasn't just misplaced anger for Vlad that he was directing toward the cruel footballer.

After Dash had gathered his things, he started to walk over to where Tucker was currently standing. Tucker could feel his heart pounding out of his chest. His fury spread throughout his body as he thought of every memory with Dash—and none of them were happy. Dash had always picked on Tucker; for being a total and complete computer geek and just for being the best friend of his ex-best friend, Danny Fenton.

Tucker couldn't help but think of all the times Danny had gotten him into trouble—ghosts attacking him, unexplained disappearances, detention for Danny's messes he made that Tucker would take the rap for, and Danny even gave him human enemies such as Dash and Mr. Lancer.

What life had he really had?—the life of a sidekick. Everything he was was thanks to Danny, the good and the bad. And now he had Danny to thank for the death of his love.

Now, another one of those thankful gifts Danny had given to him was coming his way—life with Dash. Dash was staring at Tucker with the same smirk he had always given him.

But, Tucker didn't care.

He didn't even care what Dash would do to him, he was already feeling as bad as possible—so he thought.

Now, Dash was inches away from him and it looked like he was ready to speak—and then he spoke. In his high-pitched, semi-girly, voice, "So did you hear about the new orphan in our class? I saw her earlier. I think her name was Danielle or something. I can't figure out why she dresses like a dude. She kind of reminds me that loser Danny Fenton. But he died, didn't he? Like his whole family died in some sort of house explosion caused by his idiotic dad's ghost fighting."

Tucker was siring with fury and Dash was just building it up. And he knew it. Dash could see he was getting to Tucker. Dash couldn't stop smiling. Tucker just stood there while Dash talked two inches from his face. Dash and his buddies were cracking up by now. Tucker didn't find it so funny. Tucker wanted to correct him. He was bubbling inside, ready to explode.

"She didn't die in house explosion! She was murdered--by a ghost! And Danny's alive. Oh, yeah and by the way, there is no new girl. Maybe if you didn't play football and lose so many brains cells, you would know that. But, you did get one thing right. It was Danny's dad's fault!"

Dash blew off that outburst and continued with his daily ridiculing of the unfortunate computer geek. "Oh, yeah I saw that new girl, I mean Danny, crying in the bathroom. No wonder I thought he was a girl."

"I don't care, Dash. You can make fun of Danny all you want. I'm not friends with him anymore."

Dash looked a little surprised but he wasn't going to let some stupid surprises get him off his train of thought (due to it being so short as it was). "Aww, did the itle girlies have an itle fight? Oh well. That's a bummer. But what was really a bummer was losing one of the biggest hotties at our school—Jazz Fenton." Tucker could feel himself losing control. Any more of this and he'd have a knife to Dash's throat by the end of the school day. He was already _that_ pissed!

"Man, she was fine." Dash was laughing with his buddies and high-fiving them. "I would have tapped that in a second, even if she was a nerd! Oh, well. She can be replaced."

The next second Dash turned from his buddies and back at Tucker, he got a fist in the face. The only thing he saw was Tucker's fist flying at his face before he hit the ground with a thud. In a second or two, all of Dash's football friends had Tucker in a head lock on the ground next to the bleeding Dash. He was pissed. I mean Tucker, Dash was just surprised. Tucker wouldn't stop struggling trying to get another shot at Dash, even though he was out numbered six to one. When Dash got to his feet, his boys had pulled Tucker up holding his arms behind his back for Dash to retaliate. Dash dove into Tucker, throwing his fists thirty miles per hour toward the cheeks of an undefended Tucker. By the time Mr. Lancer came outside and pulled Dash off the wounded Tucker, Tucker had already gotten two black eyes, a split lip, a nose bleed, and probably a broken jaw.

But, he didn't care.

Mr. Lancer grabbed each boy by the arm and dragged them into the school one at a time. Mr. Lancer escorted both of the bleeding boys, not to the nurse's office, but to the principal's office. He roughly pulled both of the troublemakers into the waiting room of the front office and threw them each into a few not-so-comfortable chairs in front of a large wooden desk with a nice shiny plate on it that read, "Insert Japanese Principal's Name Here."

A foreign, possibly-Japanese, looking woman with long dark hair sat in front of them as they both crossed their arms waiting for their punishment.

Tucker didn't speak.

Dash was waiting for the principal to speak first; he didn't want to incriminate himself. But, the room stayed silent. The possibly Japanese woman behind the desk had a way with intimidation. Dash was sweating just from the five minutes they sat there in silence with the principal just staring at them. Then, finally, she spoke.

"Explain." She stated abruptly and just stared.

Dash pleaded not-guilty, of course, but that wasn't fooling anyone.

Tucker didn't speak.

He just sat there with his arms crossed, as blood dripped from his chin soaking the collar of his shirt. He simply stared at the grass-stained hole in the knee of his jeans, as Dash made up this elaborate story of a pit-bull in the front of the school.

Apparently, a pit-bull escaped from his electric collar (that sent five hundred watts of electricity through the dog's neck) and a four-foot high barbed wire fence to run a half-a-mile down the road to a school just to attack the first nerd he saw. And then the brave Dash, an innocent passerby, saw the commotion and quickly ran over to offer his assistance. Through pure courage, Dash threw himself at the man-eating dog who was tarring off Tucker's face. Amazingly, Dash managed to get the monster off, pull Tucker to safety just in time, and then fight off the ferocious furball with his awesome jujitsu moves.

The principal stared at Dash amazed by his intelligent quick-thinking and story-making abilities under pressure. Then she turned to Tucker, "So, what _really_ happened?"

Tucker didn't speak.

The principal knew that was not how it went down but without Tucker's cooperation and his side of the story, she had to assume they were both as guilty as the other.

Tucker felt so bad, he didn't care about what the moronic principal thought happened. All that Tucker could think about was what Dash had said about Jazz. His piercing words echoed in Tucker's mind, _'she can be replaced.' She can be replaced? She can't be replaced! __No one__ can replace her. __No one__ was as perfect as her. __No one__ could he love so much. __No one__ could replace her! __No one__ will replace her__No one__will replace __**Jazz!!**_ Tucker couldn't let himself forget those words, just like he couldn't let himself forget her.

The principal had to punish the both of them, due to Tucker's sudden lack of recollection of the English language. Tucker received five days suspension for "assault." Apparently, the principal was doing him a favor. He could have been arrested or something.

But he didn't care.

The principal had heard about the death of the Fenton's because of the immediate relocation/home address of one of his students, Danny Fenton. She had a feeling that might have been what the fight was about. She knew Tucker was close with the Fentons and she wanted to cut him a break, if only Tucker would tell her what really happened. If Tucker had told her what really happened, he would have got off scotch-free.

But, he didn't care.

So, right as Tucker was leaving the office, the principal pulled Tucker back in to have a 'private talk.' In case she hadn't gotten it before, Tucker wasn't going to speak to her.

"Before you go to the nurse…I'd like to talk with you…" However, she thought she'd give it a shot. "So, I know you are one of Danny Fenton's best friends."

As he felt the blood on his cheek begin to dry and harden, Tucker wanted desperately to escape the clutches of this maniac monotone and free himself into the warmth of the nurses office where he was sure Dash was at that very moment.

Tucker wanted to correct her, "_Danny Fenton_ is one of _my _best friends," or at least, "Was." But, he couldn't bring himself to even speak. He was in too much pain and not because of his swollen face, but because of his deflated heart.

"So I think you might be so…quiet…or…upset…because of the Fenton's…accident. I'm guessing you were close." With Tucker's face giving her no indication if she was right or close, she added, "-ish."

Tucker still not flinching, she continued, questioning every word she was saying, "I know I don't know you. You've been such a good student." Tucker rolled his eyes—the only sign of life he gave the principal all day. "So...the ones who died…Jack, Maddi, and Jazz…were you close?...with any of them?"

Her words trailed off in the Tucker's mind, as soon as she said her name, Jazz. Tucker couldn't stop thinking about her—her future, his love, her life, his life…her death—he wanted to cry.

At that second, while the possibly Japanese woman was still talking to herself, Tucker swiftly turned and abruptly left the room.

He headed straight for the exit; tears, now, streaming down his face. All he could think about was his current lonely life, here, without Jazz. He had been holding it back all day. And now…it was time to let it all come out. He just couldn't hold it in any longer. Now that his tears had started, they wouldn't stop. Tucker just let the pain all flow out of him.

Just as he got outside, he noticed someone waiting for him. But it wasn't Dash ready for round two. It was Vlad. He was leaning against a table ten feet directly in front of him.

Tucker stood there shocked. He had to make sure he wasn't seeing things. He whipped his tears away clarifying his vision. He stared into—not the dark eyes of Plasmius (evil butthead ghost), but the hurting, compassionate eyes of Vlad (human).

Tucker clenched his fists remembering how his love's life was ripped from her. He prepared himself for match two.

Staring into the others eyes, they could see pain in the eyes of their opponent. Vlad could see everything Tucker was feeling through his big watery blue eyes. Game on.

Fury building up in Tucker, he so wished he had Danny's ghost powers or otherwise he would have attacked by now. Knowing he wasn't much of an opponent versus Plasmius was the only thing keeping Tucker from lunging at the throat of the calm murderer.

Tired of waiting and wondering what Plasmius was going to do to him, Tucker screamed, "Come on already!!" Tucker was so consumed by revenge, his fists clenched as tight as they would go; he really didn't care that Plasmius could squish him like a bug. He still wanted to kill Vlad and he still thought he could. He stood with rage and tears in his eyes just staring at Vlad. Vlad didn't move. He didn't even look angry. He just looked sad. He knew what Tucker was going through. He had lost his love, too. And he could see the pain in Tucker, through his ferocity. He knew how Tucker was feeling and he understood why. Tucker's eyes now overflowing like a waterfall, yet he never blinked or took his eyes off of his target: Vlad. He could feel his misery tearing him up from the inside out. He was ready for to end. The fire—the pain—burning inside him; he couldn't take it. He just wanted it to stop—to all go away. He just wished…Jazz was here. But since he couldn't have that…He wanted desperately to kill Vlad, as if that would make it better (its called revenge).

Then Vlad spoke, calmly and sympathetically, "I'm not going to kill you."

Tucker screamed with rage, "Why not!?"

"You loved her, didn't you? Like I loved Maddi."

Tucker couldn't take hearing any more about Jazz. He was ready to burst.

Vlad saw Tucker still wanted to kill him and Vlad knew he was restraining himself from charging. "I'm not going to kill you," he repeated. "I know how you are feeling and revenge is not the answer."

"It was for you!!" Tucker unleashed some of his anger he'd been holding back, knowing Vlad could tear him apart.

Vlad struck by a wave of remorse, an ounce more pain shown through his eyes, "And it didn't help me with anything."

Tucker screamed with raw passion in his voice. "That's what she was to you?! Some _thing_ you just killed and it didn't _help you_ with anything!!" His face was glistening with the salt water escaping from his eyes. "YOU KILLED HER FOR NOTHING!!" Tucker screamed at the mourning Vlad.

Vlad knew this already. His eyes were red from what must have been loads of crying earlier that day. He knew it was wrong, but he could not take it back. The only thing left that he could do for Tucker—to help him—as some sort of redemption, he was going to do. "I'm not going to kill you." He said once more with compassion in his voice.

"I know you miss her but this is not going to make it better. If you think that killing me is going to make her death okay, then you are sadly mistaken. And I know I cannot make it right, but…" A tear fell to the ground from the tip of Vlad's nose, "I will not kill you."

Tucker felt all of his emotions from earlier that day rush into his heart. He thought of how Vlad killed Jazz, how Danny abandoned him, how Dash made fun of Jazz's death, and now he was staring at the cause of all of it and he could do nothing. His hope for revenge flew from him. He knew it was impossible and his anger left him. Now there was just sadness. He was overwhelmed by his emotions. He couldn't take it. Tucker screamed in pain, "YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!! HOW COULD YOU TAKE HER FROM ME?? AND NOW YOU WON'T EVEN LET ME BE WITH HER!! YOU WON'T EVEN LET ME DIE IN PEACE!! YOU WANT TO MAKE EVRYTHING YOU DID RIGHT? WELL, THEN HELP ME!! HELP ME!!...please." By this time, so many tears had traveled down to Tucker's chin, some of the blood on his face began to wash away. Tucker was so overwhelmed by the painful feelings inside him that he couldn't even feel the pain coming from the exterior of his face. Tucker cried, "KILL ME!! JUST KILL ME!! AND GET IT OVER WITH!!"

And Vlad calmly replied, "I will not kill you." He looked down at his hands—the hands that had caused so much pain and grief—"It would not be right." For once, Vlad showed signs of remorse, sympathy, passion, and pain. After losing Maddi, he seemed almost—human. He turned as Tucker wept with agony and he whispered under his breath, "I cannot cause you any more pain."

Tucker, hearing those words, his thoughts of revenge returned. He had already caused Tucker so much pain, it was insufferable. Saying that wasn't going to bring Jazz back. It wasn't going to allow her to live the life he took from her. Tucker lunged at Vlad.

By instinct, pure reaction, Vlad turned around and hurled a massive plasma ball into Tucker's stomach. It sent Tucker flying through the air into the side of the school behind him.

As his back hit the brick wall with amazing force, pain soared through his body. And this time it wasn't pain for his lost love, but it was a physical pain. It was a moment when a fireball of suffering swept from his head to his toes. He could feel his body rumble. The impact even broke pieces of the brick off as they went flying in the air. The pain was excruciating. It hurt so bad…but for that brief moment, he smiled. In his physical pain, he found refuge. He felt relief. And he was happy. It was that single moment in time where Tucker wasn't thinking about Jazz. That moment when his body was in so much pain, his heart felt none.

And he smiled.

The pain was _so great_. It was _so _intolerable—that he felt—_nothing_.

And he smiled.

For that moment, he couldn't feel his body aching, he couldn't feel his heart pounding. He felt as if he were dying.

And he smiled.

Falling from the side of the building to the ground, he felt free. Free from all pain, free from the world, free from love and lose. He felt the wind move upward on his immobile body. He just let himself fall; his arms dangling, floating, off to his sides as he drifted downward. There was nothing he could do. And there was nothing he wanted to do. His body felt light as a feather and he saw a bright light.

And he smiled.

He was ready to die, ready to be taken out of this world. He was ready to be put out of his misery. He was ready to see Jazz again. He was ready to die. He wanted to die.

Covered in blood and tears, Tucker hit the ground. His body lay immobile.

The whole time he was talking with Vlad, he was in so much pain, he hadn't realized the bell to the school had rung. Tons of kids—his classmates—were outside watching. They were staring at him lay on the ground. But, they were not crying for Tucker—they were laughing. They were laughing because Tucker had gotten beat up twice in one day. They were laughing because—_he_ was _crying_—and _they_ were _laughing._ They were laughing because he had landed on his butt when he hit the ground. They were not crying for their fallen classmate. They were laughing at him, in his expense.

And Tucker arose. He was alive. But, he was not happy. His body ached as he pulled himself to sit up. He had fallen to his knees, looking around at his peers surrounding him—laughing. His dream of freedom was gone. Reality now swept in. It consumed him. And all he felt now was—pain.

He looked up to see Dash, in the middle of the crowd pointing at him, obviously encouraging everyone else to join in what he thought was the funniest thing on the planet.

Tucker wished he wasn't there. He wished he was back in the place he was when he hit the wall. It was pain, but it was freedom. When he hit the wall, he was free from life and loss; free from judgment. And just like Jazz, his happiness had been ripped from him once more. His feeling of freedom had gone with that white light. Just a second ago, he had felt almost—happy.

His smile was gone.

Tucker didn't wish to see Dash's face getting pleasure from his pain.

But, he didn't care.

He just wanted to be…anywhere else.

It was not the laughing students that Tucker wished to escape. But rather, it was everything he wished to escape. It was life. It was breathing. It was people. It was all of it. He wished to escape from this evil world, as he looked around at what humans really were. He couldn't take it. He had lost everything in this world that was important to him. Even Danny was among the chaotic crowd.

Tucker was there, but he didn't feel like he was anywhere. The students remained around him, stopped and staring.

But, he didn't care.

He thought about his life, his pain, and his loss. He saw Jazz's face shining in a bright light in front of him and everything around him seemed to disappear. Her blue eyes seemed to pierce right into his heart. He wanted to be with her and instead…he was _here_. He hung his head unable to keep in up any longer. Unwilling to keep his head up any longer. He didn't think, he just felt. And all he felt…was pain.

And so he wept.

No one realized that Vlad was still there staring with sympathetic eyes at the unknowing crowd of teenagers. He turned in the opposite direction, lowered his head, and left Tucker weeping on the ground behind him. As he turned and walked away, he whispered under his breath, "I'm sorry."

In less than five minutes, Tucker had: a rope, a destination, and a plan.

His plan: To be with his love. To be away from everyone—everything, else. To find his place of freedom, even if it's not in this world. He would prevail. Some way, somehow, he was going to find happiness. He had a plan.

His destination: Dash's house, the person who tortured him in his days of misery. He was going to make Dash realize how he makes others feel and he was going to make him pay for what he had done.

The rope: guess! To kill Dash? To break into Dash's house (to rob it so he would feel lose)? To kill Dash's family? To kill himself?

As he arrived at Dash's front door, blood still clenched on his face, he thought for a second about what he was doing. He thought about ringing the door bell to meet Dash's parents. That way maybe he could understand why Dash was like he was. He wanted to explain to them his torments due to their son and tell them they should be proud. Their house was huge. Apparently Dash is richer than Sam. Tucker thought of how wasted wealth was on Dash. It just made him angrier. That just reassured Tucker that what he was about to do was the right thing. He walked around to the side of the house, rope in hand. He saw an old window worn-out and beat-up. There was a window pane missing. The top left, out of the nine panels, had been bashed in. It looked as if Dash had accidentally thrown a football through it. Just the thought of Dash made Tucker sick. He wanted so desperately to tie the rope around Dash's throat and strangle him until there was no air left in him. He couldn't wait to get inside. He thought about what he had to do and how he was going to do it. Maybe he could just break the rest of the window and then he wouldn't even need to use the rope. He decided against it. It would be too loud. He couldn't make too much noise if he still wanted the element of surprise. So he continued with the plan. He walked further around the house toward the back yard. He took the rope in his right hand and tossed it over the ruff. It caught onto an open window on the second floor. Tucker began to climb the rope. At the time, he was committing a felony.

But, he didn't care.

When he reached the top of the rope, he climbed inside and pulled the rope up for further use. Tucker looked around. He was in Dash's room. He was standing in the home of the enemy.

And he was ready.

He walked out of the large bedroom, looking both ways down the hallway to see if anyone was around. No one was there. He stepped out and walked down the hallway in front of him. It looked like it might take him to the front of the house where the living and dining rooms might be. He was heading in the right direction. Hearing voices, he turned the first corner to his right. He saw in front of him the stairs to the main level along the wall to the left of him curving as they got lower. In front of him, looking down over the skillfully carved wooden railing, stood a wide open gold room below. Over the banister, he examined the enormous empty room that looked like it would be used for greeting. The front door to the house stood on the lower level directing in front of him. It was a huge wooden door with hefty golden knockers shaped like lions in the center of each door. Two other openings stood on each side of the door. The exits had no doors to shut; just like big holes in the walls. Tucker could hear people having dinner through the 'door' on the left side of the room. Around the room against the walls stood elegant tables covered in vases of beautiful exotic flowers. In between the tables, stood elaborate clay statues of each member of the family. Tucker was tempted to knock over the tall gray Dash that stood to the left of the door. A beautifully made glass chandelier hung overhead in the middle of the gold painted empty room (like the one in Cheaper by the Dozen). He leaned over the railing and reached out to touch the magnificent chandelier that hung directing in front of him. He could just barely touch it. Tucker knew where he was now. He had just walked into the foyer of Dash's mansion. It was remarkably decorated and so stunning, it made Tucker want to hurl.

The marvelously carved grass shined reflecting the light into his watery blue eyes. It reminded him of the symmetrical ripples that would break the still surface of a beautiful blue lake when a single leaf would fall from an aging oak.

For a few moments, Tucker stood staring at the striking glass chandelier thinking of how beautiful Jazz was. He couldn't wait until he would see her beautiful face again, even if he knew he had to. He was lost without her. What was he doing there? He looked down at the rope in his hands. He needed her now more than ever.

Knowing he didn't have time to waste, the sooner he could escape, the sooner he could be with Jazz. Just then his train of thought was interrupted by Dash's mom and dad walking in to the foyer. When they saw what he was doing, they screamed. He tied the rope onto the magnificent chandelier and placed the looped end around his neck. He climbed onto the railing of the banister just in time. A loud high-pitched scream echoed throughout the house as they ran toward him.Tucker looked at them and calmly said, "Tell your son: 'I can be replaced.'"

Then, Tucker jumped off the banister and flew into the air.

And he smiled.


End file.
